Clearly, something was up. Each weekend since the tragic sprint-car incident that took Kevin Ward, Jr.’s life, Tony Stewart’s PR representative, Mike Arning of True Speed Communication—Tony Stewart owns True Speed, by the way, and the company also does PR for various NHRA and IMSA teams—has declined to reveal to anyone in advance whether Stewart would return to NASCAR competition.

Two weeks ago, Arning announced that Stewart wouldn’t race at Michigan at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. This week, those of us waiting for an announcement waited and waited—practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway starts today at 2:30 p.m., and we still hadn’t heard a peep at 4 p.m. yesterday. Who would be in the number 14 Chevrolet? Small rumors floated around. It was said that Stewart’s name was on the car when it was loaded into the hauler, not Regan Smith’s, who took his place at Watkins Glen, or Jeff Burton’s, who drove the 14 at Michigan and Bristol. Another source said that Stewart’s personalized seat had accompanied the car.

Then, just after 4:30 p.m., Arning made the announcement: Stewart was racing, his first time out in public since his sprint car hit and killed 20-year-old Ward, Jr., at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York. Ward was upset after Stewart crowded him into the wall. Ward had leapt from his wrecked car to confront Stewart on the track, who was driving under the caution flag at about 40 mph. The Ontario County Sheriff’s Department said the investigation could take two weeks or longer; we’ve passed that time frame, however, and still have yet to hear the results. Stewart has been in seclusion since. Even TMZ couldn’t find him, and they can find anybody.

As for racing this weekend, one has to believe that Stewart’s legal team possibly received a tip that he was unlikely to be charged. Had the information said otherwise, it’s hard to imagine he would place himself in a position for such public scrutiny.

Returning at Atlanta, then, makes sense. His many years driving under the banner of Atlanta-based Home Depot for Joe Gibbs Racing made him a lot of fans, and the atmosphere in Georgia is likely much more comfortable and welcoming than those of Bristol, Michigan, or, for goodness’ sake, Watkins Glen, which is located about an hour’s drive from Canandaigua.

What doesn’t make sense is Stewart’s press conference scheduled for today: Rather than holding one small conference or—even better, from his standpoint—speaking to one reporter and letting that interview stand as the public record, Stewart is holding an open conference at the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center. And it seems likely that TMZ will find the door to that room.

Immediately after the conference, NASCAR president Mike Helton will speak, likely to address whether Stewart will be eligible for the Chase for the Championship if he wins at Atlanta or Richmond, a scenario so unlikely that even die-hard NASCAR grassy-knoll conspiracy theorists would be challenged to predict it. (Basically, NASCAR drivers who win one of the first 26 races clinch a spot in the 10-race Chase as long as they also finish among the top 30 in the “regular-season” driver standings.)

The rules specify that only NASCAR regulars who attempt to qualify for every race are eligible for the Chase, to prevent a “guest” driver from popping into the sport, winning a race, and then disappearing until the championship run. A clause in the rules says that the final decision on eligibility belongs to NASCAR, but addressing the issue before—and if—Stewart manages a win seems like self-flagellation.

The bottom line: This won’t be easy for anyone. Regardless of what Stewart does or doesn’t say today, and regardless of what the plodding investigation rules, fans and observers have dug in: Some are sure Stewart did all he could to miss Ward, and some are sure Stewart didn’t intentionally hit Ward but did steer toward him to brush him back, like a big-league pitcher buzzing a batter crowding the plate.

Still others are certain that Stewart purposefully tried to hit Ward, and there are more of those people than you might think. At Motorsport.com, where I am editor-in-chief, our story announcing that Stewart would race drew more than 300 comments in three hours. They range from “WOO HOO! Glad you’re back, Smoke!” to “Beyond OUTRAGED! Revenge for Kevin Ward, Jr. RIP!”

Even if Stewart faces no criminal charges, a wrongful-death civil suit is not only possible but probable. This story is just beginning, and for most of the media, Tony Stewart is the gift that keeps on giving—an unprecedented tragedy in motorsports that could be in the news for months. There is only one time in the next few days that Stewart will be able to escape the scrutiny: during the three-hour race on Sunday night. Welcome back? We’ll see.